"I would rather it get lower than that, but it is in the right direction."
"we are going to be under tight fiscal constraints for as far as the eye can see, and we just do not have room for inefficient programs in this Federal Government"
"I actually think the overwhelming majority of Americans would believe, if rather than looking at the dramatic fall off the cliff that Social Security is going to hit--and I actually believe earlier th..."
"this is not as much an immediate problem, but an intermediate problem and needs to have phase-ins."
"I would point out to all my colleagues that actually the President's budget is the only one of the three budgets between the Senate budget or the House budget that at least starts to take on the chall..."
"the idea that we are ever going to go back to a sustainable fiscal circumstance with anything around the 18.6 or even 19 percent is just not in the realm of reality"
"I do believe an investment component in a budget is a responsible and reasonable thing."
"a critical component of a balanced approach is ensuring that the burden of deficit reduction is not borne solely by the middle class, seniors, and most vulnerable families."
"the fact that it includes a mix of spending cuts and new revenue reflects the values and principles of balance and fairness that the vast majority of Americans have clearly stated they support."
"we cannot cut our way or we cannot tax our way simply to prosperity. We also have to have a growth agenda."
"I would also make mention of the fact, very briefly, since we don't get this many opportunities in front of this kind of public audience, to recognize an action that Senator Mikulski and I took last C..."